The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature c8.s5.6

c8.s5.6

(3) Nāmatikaḥ (Nāmantikaḥ in the M. Vy.). The meaning of this word is not clear. The word namataḥ occurs in the M. Vy. (Section 233, page 381) among vastra-nāmāni (names of articles of clothing), where it is rendered as phyin-pa in the Tibetan. It also occurs in Section 272 (page 575) of the M. Vy. Namataka is also found in the Cullavagga:—“anujānāmi bhikkhave satthakaṃ namatakanti (v, 11.1; Vinaya, ii, page 115); “tenkho pana samayena chabbaggiyā bhikkhuniyo . . . namatakam dhārenti” (x. 10.4—Vinaya ii, page 267). T. W. Rhys Davids and H. Oldenberg translate it as "felt" in these passages.²³⁶ E. Burnouf is of the opinion that *nāmatikah* is a meaningless word²³⁷ and may perhaps be changed to "*kāmbalikah*"; but F. Max Müller rejects this suggestion and points out that the Chinese equivalent of *namata* is "hair-cloth" or "cloth made of hair".²³⁸ The Tibetan term, *phyin-pa*, is thus explained by S. C. Das, who also mentions *namata* and *kambalya* as the Sanskrit equivalents:—"the quantity of wool necessary for making a blanket; felt much used by Dokpa nomads of Tibet for tents and carpets" (Tib. Dicy, 836*a*). Csoma de Kőrös also gives the form *nāmacika* (p. 19), and translates: "clothed or clad in felt."